UMass Sweeps Atlantic 10 Field Hockey All-Conference Awards

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – On the heels of a perfect Atlantic 10 regular season, the Massachusetts Minutewomen claimed all four major awards as the A-10 announced its yearly All-Conference Field Hockey honors on Thursday.

UMass’ Lauren Allymohamed repeated as the A-10’s Defensive Player of the Year, while teammate Brooke Sabia was tabbed as the Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year. Minutewomen freshman Charlotte Verelst was named Rookie of the Year and the trio’s leader Carla Tagliente was named the Coach of the Year.

A junior defender from Seaford, England, Allymohamed collects her second straight Defensive Player of the Year honor and her third First-Team All-Conference nod in as many years. Allymohamed had seven goals on the season and anchored an UMass backline that posted five shutouts on the season and had a goals against average of 1.80. Allymohamed and the Minutewomen surrendered just nine goals in seven A-10 games.

Sabia is a sophomore midfielder from Lafayette Hill, Pa., and she finished the regular season as the A-10 leader in points (39), goals scored (19) and game-winning goals (5). Her 19 goals scored ranks second nationally and she is sixth in nation for goals per game. Sabia was a three-time A-10 Player of the Week during the season.

In addition to being named Rookie of the Year, Verelst garnered Second-Team All-Conference honors and a spot on the A-10’s All-Rookie squad. The Braine l'Alleud, Belgium, native closed out her first regular season in Amherst tied for third in the Atlantic 10 with 11 assists which is tops among conference rookies. Verelst’s 19 points is third most among her fellow league rookies and she notched 11 of those points against A-10 foes.

Tagliente earns her second Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honor in her third season at UMass. Tagliente led the Minutewomen to a perfect 7-0 league record and enter this weekend’s A-10 Championship as the top seed. UMass is currently 16-4 overall and ranked 12th in the nation in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll.

UMass will host the A-10 Championship which will begin on Friday, November 8 when #2 Richmond and #3 Lock Haven square off at 11:00 a.m., while UMass and #4 VCU will compete in the second semifinal at 2:00 p.m. The two winners will advance to the finals on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 2:00 p.m.